Production of sulphate opal glasses



United rates Patent @ULIFHATE @PAL @LASSTES Nfilfi, assignor to Corna corporation of New in Drawing. Filed Nov. 2, 1959, Ser. No. ddihldh 8 Claims. (fil lith -52) This invention relates to the melting of sulphate opal glasses and is particularly concerned with a melting method that provides improved opal density control in such glasses.

The term sulphate opal glass is used in a conventional sense to indicate a glass having numerous, minute, lightdil'lusing particles dispersed therein, such particles having an index of refraction diiiering from that of the glass to produce an opaque or translucent appearance. The opacifying particles are composed of a sulphate compound, usually sodium sulphate. For present purposes, a sulphate opal glass may, in addition to the opacifying sulphate particles, optionally contain another opaciiying agent such as a fluoride.

Durin the melting of a sulphate opal glass, sodium sulphate appears in the form or" liquid droplets dispersed throughout the molten bath. As the glass cools, these liquid droplets are frozen in the glass body, that is they solidify as dispersed particles, and may shatter into smaller crystallites. While sodium sulphate may be introduced into the glass batch as such, under some circumstances, it is conventional practice to employ a sulphate batch material that reacts during melting to form sodium sulphate, for example barium or aluminum sulphate.

Gpal density is determined primarily by the number of particles in a unit volume of glass, but also by the particle size. It may vary from the complete opaqueness of a dense alabaster glass, that is one which provides essentially zero li ht transmission, to a faint translucence that is visually discernible only in relatively thick glass sections. Opal density control is generally desirable for appearance purposes, but becomes of critical importance in production of illuminating glassware, such as incandescent lamp globes and fluorescent lamp panels, where light transmission characteristics and control determine product utility.

Sulphate opal glasses have long been known in the glass art, but have been largely bypassed in favor of other types of opal glasses, particularly the fluoride and phosphate opals. inasmuch as sulphate opal glasses frequently provide a more desirable appearance, particularly for illuminating glassware, their failure to achieve commercial significance has apparently been occasioned by the difiiculty encountered in reproducibly melting such glasses and controlling their opal density. Whereas opal development and control in other types of opal glasses is achieved largely by controlled thermal treatment subsequent to tie glass melting process, I have discovered that proper sulphate opal development and control is largely de endent on the actual glass melting recess and its control.

A primary purpose of the present invention is to provide improved opal sulphate glasses and improvements in the production of such glasses. Another purpose is to provide a method of melting such glasses whereby opal density may be Widely varied, yet closely controlled. A further purpose is to provide for the production of illuminating glassware from sulphate opal glasses.

My invention resides in a method of producing a sulphate opal glass which comprises the improvements of introducing into the batch from which such glass is melted a material capable of providing at least about 0.7% arsenic oxide in the glass, and heating the fusion product Patented Fol). 12,

of such batch to a maximum temperature not exceeding 1500 C. during melting.

Any convenient source of arsenic oxide may be employed as a batch material in carrying out the invention. While the oxide itself, either in trivalent or pentavalent form, is most commonly used, a compound such as sodium arsenate may also be suitable. Heretofore, arsenic and antimony oxides have been Widely used, either in combination or individually, as fining agents in the melting of most types of glass. Fining means facilitating and accelerating the removal of gas entrapped in the form of seeds or bubbles during the glass melting process. It has been generally recognized in the glass art that, While these oxides might differ slightly in degree of eliectiveness for fining purpoes depending on the particular glass composition and batch ingredients, they functioned in essentially an identical manner and hence were equivalent for the purpose. it was particularly surprising and unexpected to find that arsenic oxide had a specific effect in the production of a sulphate opal and that antimony oxide did not have a similar eilect and hence Was not an equivalent of arsenic oxide for present purposes. It will be understood that antimony compounds have no adverse effect and may also be present in glasses produced in accordance with the present invention. In general, the arsenic oxide need not exceed about 2% for present purposes.

It had previously been recognized that the presence of antimony oxide in a glass could serve as a deterrent to solarization, that is development of colorization in a clear glass during extended exposure to irradiation such as sunlight. Accordingly, in producing illuminating glassware, it has heretofore been common practice to incorporate antimony oxide in the glass to serve both as a fining agent and an inhibitor of solarization. in melting sulphate opal glasses for illuminating purposes in accordance with the present invention, it may be either undesirable or uneconomical to incorporate antimony oxide when it is not required for lining purposes. Where this situation exists, I have found that on the order of 0.5% or more titanium oxide may conveniently be incorporated in the glass to inhibit solarization and thereby replace the antimony oxide previously employed.

1 have further found that, in addition to providing at least a minimum amount of arsenic oxide in the glass, the maximum melting temperature is a critical factor in sulphate opal development and that close control of this maximum temperature is a critical factor in producing glass with a consistent degree of opal density. Thus a variation of as little as live degrees in the maximum melting temperature may so change opal density in a sulphate opal glass as to render the glass unsuita le for particular illuminating purposes. A maximum melting temperature of 1450 C. produces a dense opal but may be too low for proper glass melting and handling. As the temperature is increased to 1500" C. opal density decreases rapidly and above 1500 C. an essentially clear or non-opal glass results.

It will be understood that all references to glass Incling temperatures refer to the glass furnace temperature as optically read from the bridge Wall of a commercial glass melting tank. Where other types of glass melting temperature measurements are to be employed, temperatures here specified in terms of the generally accepted standard bridge Wall method of measurement Will be translated to equivalent temperatures as measured by such other means.

In general, the present invention is not limited to any particular glass batch ingredients, base glass compositions, or melting procedures, except as indicated. Accordingly, one practicing the present invention may expect to employ ordinary or conventional materials and methods as modified by the specific teachings of this application. Conventional glass formulating and melting practices are set forth in such textual material as Glass Engineering Handbook, by E. B. Shand, second-edition, 'McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1958, more particularly section 2 of that'text by Dr. C. H. :Greene.

While the present invention relates to sulphate opal glasses in general and is not restricted to any particular base glass, it is described illustratively with reference to a silicate illuminating glass composed essentially of 55- 75% S 520% :of one or more of the alkali metal oxides NagO, K 0 and Li 'O, upto of one or more of the divalent oxides MgO, CaO, B210, 2110, PhD and SrO, 0-15% A1 0 and optionally minor amounts, totalling not over about 5%, of other compatible glass making materials such as vboric 'oxideanda fluoride. In addition to these commonly used glassforming, fiuxand stabilizing materials, the illuminating, glass will contain at'least 0.7% arsenic oxide,up to about 3% sulphur oxide, or sulphate ion, calculated as vS0 the maximum amount being that compatible without forming a sodiumsulphate layer on theglass'bathsurface, and optionally from 0.5 to about 2% TiO and/or Sb2O for inhibition of solarization. Conventional glass colorants may'also be-present in known manner if desired.

More specifically, the invention is described with re'ference to production of a pale opal or translucent glass adapted to production of prismatic light transmitting panels as described in a copending application Ser. No. 810,840, filed in the names of W. 0. Benjamin and A. R. Jaeger on May 13, 1959, and assigned to the assignee of this application. The approximate composition of this glass, on an oxide basis, and a calculated formula for a batch from which the glass might be melted, are:

The glass batch was introduced into a medium size, commercial, continuous glass melting tank adapted to supply on the order of tons of glass per day to a fiat glass rolling machine. The glass was initially melted at glass temperatures varying increasingly from about 1050 C. to about 1400 C., :the fusion product brought to a maximum optical temperature of 148015 C. in the vicinity of the tank bridgewall, and thereafter brought into a delivery chamber for introduction to the rolling machine, the .glass being cooled sufiiciently for proper handling by the .machine. Sheets of glass produced in this manner were found to consistently contain a proper amount of sulphate .opacifying particles to fall within the dense and light opal limits set forth in the previously mentioned application.

It will be understood that, while there must be sufiicient sulphate present in the glass batch to provide the precipitated sulphate particles in the glass, the mere altering of sulphate content in the batch is at most a secondary means of opal density control. The primary means of controlis maximum glass melting temperature together with the presence of an adequate amount of arsenic oxide in the glass batch. It will further be appreciated that, While close temperature control is critical in obtaining uniform 'or reproducible opal density in a glass, the particular temperature required to produce a desired opal density may vary slightly with changes in the glass melting unit and in glass melting practices such as cullet ratio and rate of glass melting. In particular, opal density appears to be sensitive to culletratio, that is ratio of cullet to raw batch, an increase in the cullet producing a paler opal and, conversely, a cullet ratio decrease producing a denser opal. The basis for such change is not understood and it is desirable to maintain a constant cullet ratio in the batch. Accordingly, a certain amount (if routine experimentation may be expected in adjusting practice of the present invention to specific melting conditions.

What is claimed is:

1. In the production of a sulphate opal glass by melting a glass batch adapted to produce an alkali silicate glass composed essentially of 55-75% SiO 520% of at leastone alkali metal oxide, at least one divalent metal oxide in an amount not exceeding 15%, 015% A1 0 and containing a suflicient amount of sulphate ion to provide 'a separate sulphate opal phase in the glass melt, an improved method of controlling opal density which comprises -the 'steps of introducing into the glass batch, in vitrifiable amount, a source of arsenic oxide capable of providing '0.7-"2.0% arsenic oxide in the glass melt, and meltingthe-batch at temperatures not exceeding 1500 C.

2. A 'method of-producing a sulphate opal glass which, on an oxide basis, is composed essentially of 55-75% S102, 52(]% of at least one alkali metal oxide, at least one'divalentmetal oxidein'an amount not exceeding 15%, 0-15 Al O and a-sutficient amount of sulphate ion to provide aseparatesulphateopal phase in'the glass, the method comprising forming a glass batch adapted to produce such'gla'ss'on melting, introducing'a source of arsenic oxide'into such glass batchin a vitrifiable amount that is capable of providing 0.72.0% arsenic oxide in a melt of such batch, and melting such batch at optical temperatures not exceeding 15 00 C.

3. In the'production of a'sulphate opal'glass which, on an oxide basis, is composed essentially of 55-75% SiO 520% of at :least one alkali metal oxide, at least one divalent metal oxide in an amount not exceeding 15 0-15 A1 0 and an amount of sulphate ion sutficient to provide a sulphate opal phase in the glass, and wherein glass batchformulated to produce such glass is continuously melted, the method of consistently producing a controlled opal density in the glass which comprises introducing into the glass batch a source of arsenic oxide in vitrifiable amount capable of providing 0.7-2.0% arsenic oxide in the glass melt, melting the glass batch at a temperature below 1500" C. and maintaining the maximum melting temperature within a range of 5 C.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the amount of arsenic-containing material introduced is sufficient to provide 1-2% arsenic oxide in the glass.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 which includes additionally introducing into the glass batch a vitrifiable amount of a titanium compound capable of providing at least about 0.5% TiO in the glass.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 in which the maximum melting temperature is approximately 1480 C.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the maximum melting temperature is about 1480 C.

8. .A method in accordance with claim 3 wherein the glass ismelted in a continuous melting unit from a glass batch containing both cullet and raw batch materials and the ratio of cullet to raw batch materials in the glass batch is maintained substantially constant.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,552,125 Tillyer May8, 1951 2,571,242 Hood Oct. 16, 1951 2,636,420 Ryan et'al Apr. 28, 1953 2,669,808 Duncan ct al Feb. 23, 1954 2,779,136 Hood et al.. I an. 29, 1957 2,898,219 Duncan Aug. 4, 1959 3,003,886 Pither Oct. 10, 1961 

1. IN THE PRODUCTION OF A SULPHATE OPAL GLASS BY MELTING A GLASS BATCH ADAPTED TO PRODUCE AN ALAKI SILICATE GLASS COMPOSED ESSENTIALLY OF 55-75% SIO2, 5-20% OF AT LEAST ONE ALKALI METAL OXIDE, AT LEAST ONE DIVALENT METAL OXIDE IN AN AMOUNT NOT EXCEEDING 15%, 0-15% AL2O3 AND CONTAINING A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF SULPHATE ION TO PROVIDE A SEPARATE SULPHATE OPAL PHASE IN THE GLASS MELT, AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONTROLLING OPAL DENSITY WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF INTRODUCING INTO THE GLASS BATCH, IN VITRIFIABLE AMOUNT, A SOURCE OF ARSENIC OXIDE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING 0.7-2.0% ARSENIC OXIDE IN THE GLASS MELT, AND MELTING THE BATCH AT TEMPERATURES NOT EXCEEDING 1500*C. 